The Astros have maybe found their franchise pitcher in Hunter Brown.
The Houston Astros have bolstered their starting rotation with 27-year-old Hunter Brown who is getting better and better each year. He is coming off his best season by far in his young career. Brown made his debut in September of 2022 which means he has three full years under his belt all with the Astros who drafted him back in 2019.
This year he was named a finalist for the CY Young Award after finishing towards the top of almost every major stat amongst AL pitchers.
- 2.43 ERA (second)
- 133 Total Hits (third amongst pitchers with 31 starts)
- 206 Strikeouts (third)
- .201 Opponent’s Batting Average (fifth)
- 1.03 WHIP (tied for fourth)
While this was more than a respectable performance, it is unlikely that he will dethrone Tarik Skubal, who had a 2.21 ERA, 241 strikeouts, 0.89 WHIP, and held opponents to a lower batting average. However, even if it doesn’t happen this year for Brown, it will happen sooner or later.
Skubal just finished his fifth full year on the mound in the majors, and like Brown, he progressively got better as the years went on. Brown is just a couple of years behind Skubal’s experience, and if he stays on the same path, it will be his name stealing the spotlight.
How Brown and Skubal’s Careers Have Developed So Far
It doesn’t make much sense to look at either Skubal’s or Brown’s first years, as neither made more than seven starts in their debut seasons, and it only matters what they looked like when the workload commenced for their respective teams.
Skubal’s first full season in the majors, he made 29 starts, and it would probably surprise most that he posted an ERA of 4.34 and threw 35 pitches that turned into long balls. For reference, over the last two seasons combined, he had only 33 homers. In his first year, he struck out 164 but had a career high in both opponents’ batting average (.245) and WHIP (1.23).
In 2023, Brown made the same number of starts but posted an ERA of just over 5.00. However, he had more strikeouts than Skubal (178) and fewer home runs thrown (26). However, the Tigers’ pitcher had the edge with batting average (.262) and WHIP (1.36).
Fast forward one season, and the pair were both immediately better in everything: ERA, WHIP, batting average, and home runs. Then they both took off. Skubal’s ERA was never over 3.00 again, and he has now posted back-to-back seasons with 200+ strikeouts.
The Astros’ rising star cut his ERA from 5.09 to 3.49 to 2.43 as he continues to take on more of a responsibility. Even though he has made nearly the same number of starts in the past three seasons, management is leaving him on the mound longer because he cut the batting average down from .262 to 2.01 and brought his WHIP down from 1.36 to 1.03.
Now, there is no telling what the future holds for Brown, but if he goes down a similar path as Skubal, it sure looks bright. It is inevitable for Brown to win a CY Young Award, and with him under team control until 2029, the ballclub must be really excited about him and his future.
